Tapered bar bell weight



'- 1965 s. D. STEINER 3,219,343

TAPERED BAR BELL WEIGHT Filed Feb. 2. 1962 Go 20 F1 6. 30

INVENTOR. 5/M0/v D. STE/use 147 roeusys.

United States Patent 3,219,343 TAPERED BAR BELL WEIGHT Simon D. Steiner, Sherman Oaks, Calif, assignor to Healthways, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 170,564 lClaim. (Cl.27284) This invention relates to exercising weights, and particularly to a detachable bar bell weight.

Weights for bar bells are commonly made of cast iron or like dense material shaped as a dish of substantially uniform thickness. The weight dishes are often added or removed in order to change the total weight of a bar bell. Typical prior weights resting upon the floor are not easily lifted, especially if of large size. Sometimes the Weights can be lifted by one finger or two inserted at the central aperture of the weight. This may be a strain. It is more diflicult to lift the weight by manipulations at the edge. Yet these inconveniences have been tolerated.

The primary object of this invention is to overcome the foregoing disadvantages, and provide a bar bell apparatus having a set of weights that can readily be lifted. For this purpose the peripheral portion of each weight has an outward taper whereby the Weight can be tipped by pressing on one side, as with the foot. When so tipped, the weight can readily be gripped.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification, and which drawings are true scale. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation of a bar bell apparatus embodying the present invention; 7

FIG. 2 is an elevation of one of the weights;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the plane corresponding to line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating the function of the weight.

In FIG. 1 there is illustrated a bar bell structure that includes a bar 11 having collars 12 and 13 spaced inwardly of opposite ends respectively and against which one or more weights 14 may be placed in a conventional manmer. Detachable clamps 15 and 16 hold the weights against the collars 12 and 13.

One of the weights 14 is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 and 3. The weight 14, which may be made of cast iron or the like, is circular in peripheral contour. Its side surfaces 17 and 18 are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axis a of the Weight. The side surfaces are flat at the inner areas 17 and 18 respectively, and define opposite bounding planes b and c for the weight 14. The center of the weight 14 has a through aperture 19 by the aid of which it is received on the bar 11.

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Shallow circular grooves or depressions 20 and 21, just beyond the flat arms 17 and 18 extend inwardly of the bounding planes b and c. The depressions 20 and 21 provide areas for display of raised, integrally formed numerals, as at 22, that do not project beyond the bounding planes b and c. The numeral displayed in this instance denotes the value of the weight.

The side surfaces 23 and 24 beyond the grooves 20 and 21 are tapered. Thus, the peripheral area 23 extends inwardly of the corresponding bounding plane b, and the peripheral area 24 extends inwardly of its corresponding bounding plane 0. The surfaces are generally frusto-conical. The edge 25 of the weight 14 is rounded or blunted, the points or circle of convergence d of the surfaces 23 and 24 being well beyond the peripheral boundary of the weight 14.

The angularity of each of the surfaces 23 or 24 is of the order of 10. Should the weight 14 rest upon the floor, as indicated in FIG. 4, a downward force exerted in the direction of the arrow e at one edge of the weight will cause the Weight 14 to tilt, as indicated, so that the opposite edge is lifted for ready grasp.

Since both sides of the weight are tapered, tilting can be accomplished in the manner described whichever side surface 17 or 18 happens to engage the floor. In the pres ent example, the force at e is indicated as being applied by the foot of the user.

The inventor claims:

In combination: a bar; a set of centrally apertured Weights detachably mounted on the bar, each weight being generally of disk configuration and having side surfaces defining parallel bounding planes of the weight, each of the side surfaces having peripheral substantially frusto-conical portions sloping inwardly of their corresponding bounding planes, the said sloping portions having a projected circle of convergence located substantially beyond the peripheral edge of the weight, the taper of each of said surfaces relative to their corresponding bounding planes being of the order of ten degrees, the said frustoconical portions occupying a peripheral band of substantial radial width in comparison with the radius of the disk itself whereby the weight when resting upon the floor contacts the floor only within a circle concentric with the disk and of substantially smaller radius than the disk.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 76,944 4/ 1868 Reilly 27281 1,134,008 3/1915 Reach 27259 2,447,218 8/ 1948 Trzesniewski 272-84 2,824,740 2/ 1958 Cowan 273-137 FOREIGN PATENTS 361,673 9/ 1922 Germany. 461,280 5/ 1928 Germany.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

JAMES W. LOVE, Examiner. 

